"To defend the livelihoods of 40,000 drivers - and the consumer choice of millions of Londoners — sign this petition asking the Mayor to reverse the decision to ban Uber in London," reads the petition, which was emailed to Uber customers in London.

"By wanting to ban our app from the capital, Transport for London and the Mayor have given in to a small number of people who want to restrict consumer choice. If this decision stands, it will put more than 40,000 licensed drivers out of work and deprive millions of Londoners of a convenient and affordable form of transport. This decision is affecting the real lives of a huge number of honest and hard-working drivers in London."

Transport for London (TfL) announced on Friday that Uber would not be issued with a private hire operator's licence once its current licence is up on 30 September.

TfL said Uber was not "fit and proper" to hold a licence, adding that the firm's approach to reporting serious driver offences, approach to driver medical and safety checks, and use of its secret "Greyball" software to dodge transport officials all contributed to its decision.